Another NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota

Kota (Rajasthan) [India], August 27 : Another student in Rajasthan's Kota allegedly died by suicide on Sunday, marking the 23rd such case this year.
According to the police, a 16-year-old student, who was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, allegedly died by suicide at his coaching institute in Rajasthan’s Kota on Sunday.
The deceased, identified as Avishkar from Maharashtra died after jumping from the 6th floor of the building.
“He was 16 years and 11 months old and was preparing for NEET. He was a student in class 12. He was living with his maternal grandparents. He jumped from the 6th floor. We have sent his body for post-mortem,” Dharmveer Singh, Deputy superintendent of police of Kota told the reporters here.
The police further said that the deceased student committed suicide after appearing for a scheduled weekly test.
“He committed suicide five minutes after getting out of the exam hall. The body was sent to the district medical college hospital for an autopsy and a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team was sent to the spot for further investigations. His parents have also been informed,” Singh added.
Earlier in the day, the police said that a girl, preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh allegedly died by suicide on Saturday.
According to Vedpal Singh, Circle Inspector, Hanumangarh, the deceased has been identified as Priyanka.
"A girl died by suicide yesterday. She had been living in a girls' hostel along with other girls since June and was taking online classes for IAS preparation...We have found a note and we are examining it. We have sent the body for post-mortem and have registered a morgue based on a report given by her father... Further investigating the case is underway," Vedpal Singh, Circle Inspector, Hanumangarh.
Notably, suicide cases among students are rising in Rajasthan, the state government has been alerted and come on a war footing to avert these types of incidents.
Recently, amid the rising suicide cases among students in Rajasthan's Kota, state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot formed a committee that would submit a report on students' suicide. As many as 22 students died by suicide in the last eight months in Rajasthan's Kota.
Earlier, referring to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on student suicides, Gehlot said, “According to NCRB, around 13,000 students died by suicide in 2021. Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of suicides with 1,834 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,308), Tamil Nadu (1,246), Karnataka (855) and Odisha (834). The problem can be solved with a collective effort.”
The number of such suicides in Rajasthan was 633, which is less than in other states, but the state government is 'serious and sensitive' towards the issue, an official statement said.
However, amid concerns over the mental health issues among the students, the district administration has adopted a controversial approach to dealing with the problem and has ordered to install spring-loaded fans in all rooms “to provide students mental support and security”.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, earlier had expressed concern over the rising incidences of suicides among the students in the city.
The CM had also highlighted the burden being put on students studying in class 9 and 10.
“Enrolling Class 9 and 10 students in coaching institutes puts extra burden on them since they also have to appear for board exams. You call students of classes 9th and 10th. You are committing a crime in a way. It is as if IIT is god. As soon as students come to coaching, they are enrolled in fake schools. It is also a fault of the parents,” the chief minister said.
He further said that the students are enrolled in dummy schools and they do not go to schools and they have dual burden of clearing board exams and to prepare for entrance exam.
“It is time for improvement. We cannot see young students committing suicide,” he said.